A delicious taste of indulgence

Chocolate-lovers step forward. You can even have it in the bathtub, says
Jenni Baden Howard

BY Jenni Baden Howard |
13 November 2003

Beauty is entering the comfort zone for winter. Offering a fun, calorie-free way to indulge a craving for all things sweet and warming, beauty companies have come up with a host of treats for the face and body based on seasonal ingredients, including cocoa, vanilla and ginger.

Wise to the fact that we are a nation of chocolate lovers, Marks & Spencer has produced a Chocolat du Bain collection, inspired by plain, milk and white chocolate. The star of the line-up is a deliciously decadent Foaming Bath Melt (£7), which creates a soaking-in-hot-chocolate effect. The finishing touch?

A squirt of White Chocolate Body Mousse (£6), to moisturise the skin and leave it lightly scented with vanilla (available at selected stores).

Meanwhile, from the funky American beauty company, Philosophy, look out for the new Chocolate Lovers Cookbook (£25). The collection of 3-in-1 shampoos, conditioners and body washes is scented with Chocolate Cream Coffee, White Chocolate Hazlenut Cake and Café au Lait, and recipes for each are featured on the bottles. Or try The Gingerbread Man (£22), a self-heating, yummy-smelling body scrub (at Selfridges, Liberty, SpaceNK, or see
www.sephora.com
).

Along similar lines, Lush's new Mr Butterball Snowman Ballistic for the bath contains sweet-smelling cocoa butter and vanilla extract, while the warmly scented Orange Spice And All Things Nice soap (£1.70) is inspired by mulled wine. It contains orange, cinnamon, cloves and lemon, to cleanse the body and soothe the senses (available from Lush stores nationwide. For mail order, tel: 01202 668545, or see
www.lush.com
). Follow with lashings of Origins's bestselling Ginger Soufflé Whipped Body Cream (£20).

Post-soak, Urban Decay's new Cocoa Butter and Marshmallow Body Powders (£18 each) provide a touch of subtle party sparkle with a naughty twist. The latest additions to the company's popular range of edible dusting powders, they are flavoured as their names suggest, and leave skin softened, with a subtle golden or pearly sparkle. Each comes with a leopard print puff (at larger Boots and selected Debenhams stores nationwide, or see:
www.urbandecay.com
).

Bobbi Brown fans, meanwhile, will covet her new Lip Palettes (£27 each). There are two, limited edition sets to choose from: the Shimmer Gloss Stick palette features a Burnt Sugar lip shine, while the Best Of palette includes a Mini Cocoa Creamy Lip Liner (available at selected department stores. For stockists, tel: 01730 232566).

But if all this sweetness sounds too sickly, there is an alternative. Arriving this month, Jo Malone's Coffee Collection features two "café colognes", also available as scented candles, inspired by a "cosseting yet flirtatious" blend of coffee beans and flowers. Choose from the spicy Black Vetyver, or the more overtly floral Stephanotis and Cassia Café. The former should be a hit with Sarah Jessica Parker, who adores the original Vetyver scented candles.

At Malone's in Sloane Street, London SW1, you can sample these products at the new tasting bar, by having your preferred coffee fragrance mixed with your choice of Jo Malone moisturiser, and applied during a hand and arm massage. Now that's cosseting (inquiries and mail order, tel: 020 7720 0202).